State considering targeted’ cuts in historic site hours after Labor Day

Wednesday

Jul 30, 2014 at 3:59 PMJul 30, 2014 at 9:52 PM

By Tim LandisBusiness Editor

State officials will consider targeted reductions in historic site hours after Labor Day — including in Springfield — to ease the effects of budget cuts.

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Director Amy Martin said Wednesday that the agency is working on specifics and will attempt to maintain hours as much as possible at the most popular sites, including Abraham Lincoln sites.

More than 1.3 million people visited eight state historic sites in Springfield and Petersburg in 2013, according to agency figures.

“We wanted to make it through the Labor Day holiday to accommodate people who have travel plans,” Martin said after an Illinois Tourism Office event at Dana-Thomas House in Springfield. “We’re looking at trying to target it so that it’s not all 26 sites.”

The agency budget for historic site operations was cut by $1.1 million for the fiscal year that started July 1, or 19 percent below the previous year.

Martin said post-Labor Day hours also would take into account traditional fall visits by school groups.

“We have so many school groups coming in, and we don’t want to affect those,” Martin said. “Teachers plan those so far in advance as well.”

Agency spokesman Chris Wills said discussions continue with legislative leaders for restoration of the $1.1 million early next year.

“That’s what they cut, and that’s what we would hope they’d put back,” Wills said. “It’s not like we’re going back to a level that would be an improvement.”

State Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, told The State Journal-Register editorial board last month that restoration of historic site funding should be a priority.

Wills said lawmakers likely would not act on the restoration request until January.

Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site in Petersburg was the busiest local historic site in 2013 with more than 376,000 visitors, followed by a little more than 358,000 visitors at the Lincoln Tomb, and 321,000 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.